David Lowrey Questions 7/26

1. I am intrigued by Reiff’s idea to ask our student to produce new genres for class. That said, it seems like a pretty broad request, particularly considering that our students are likely to have just learned about genre in such detail. How can we ensure that our students are not overwhelmed by the idea of creating a new genre from scratch?

2. Yancey discusses how portfolios in writing courses are useful because they train the students to be reflective on the themes and patterns of their own writing. Do you think there is a way to reinforce to students the importance of self-reflection on their writing?

Nicholas - 7/26

1. On page 161, Reiff says that "Students' critical awareness of how genres work—their understanding of how rhetorical features are connected to social actions—enables them to more effectively critique and resist genres by creating alternatives."

Why would it be important for students learning genre to resist genre? What can a teacher do to help facilitate this?


2. Yancey lists three "essential characteristics" of portfolios: they are "longitudinal in nature," "diverse in content," and "almost always collaborative in ownership and composition."

In what ways do these characteristics make portfolios effective evaluation tools for instructors?

Dorothy 7/26

Can you see yourself incorporating various modes of composition in your classroom, other than the typical linguistic-focused text? Why or why not?

One of the greatest benefits of a genre-awareness approach to composition is that we can encourage students to not only learn and understand how genre functions, but how to experiment with or even break away from genre. However, as we’ve discussed in class, students are often hesitant to take risks. How can we encourage students to take more risks and break away from conventions?

John 7:26

1. Say you decide to use portfolio grading, would you want it to be more of a revised compilation of a student's writing from your course in totality, or as a curation of only their strongest works? (What are your thoughts on portfolios in terms of design choices?)

2. If we are understanding genre as contingent on context, where we investigate it with certain analytical lenses, how would you go about explaining this understanding to your ENC 2135 class in a way they can easily comprehend and begin to utilize?

Michael Taylor 7/26

Yancey says that, if teachers elect to use portfolios, they should do so with a purpose. What would your purpose be in using portfolios in your classes?

Wysocki calls attention to visual details we might otherwise ignore. What are some of the visual elements of compositions (from essays to photographs to websites) that you'll call your students' attention to?

Hera's Questions for 7/26

1. What would be your favorite approach towards grading portfolios?

2. What is a dream typeface that does not exist and you would like to see it come into being? Describe it and explain what purpose it would serve. This is a serious question.

or

What are some of the activities that you would introduce to make students inquire into the rhetorical design of a genre and use their knowledge to challenge genre for the purposes of social action/intervention? 

Amanda's questions for 7-26

Reif talks about resisting genres by creating alternatives. This is something we touched on a little in class last week. Since we are also instructed to have our students use genres as a sort of scaffolding, how will you then remove that scaffolding and help them bush past genre into a place where they can create their own?

 

As we think about creating our own portfolios for bootcamp and consider the things Yancey said in this week’s reading, do you think you will use portfolios for your own classes? If so, what purpose will they serve?

 

 

Michael Pons, Yeet

1. Reiff mentions her exercise of having her students develop "antigenres" as alternatives to working within the defined conventions of a genre that may not fit the student's purpose. This seems like valuable assignment when it comes to learning how to operate both within and outside of established genre conventions, but does the process of creating a antigenre that is antithetical to the genre still serve to limit students in that their antigenre is inherently limited by what the genre is "not?" Would it be better to try and have the students compose entirely new genres from scratch?

2. I like the idea of using portfolios as a means for evaluating students, as I personally believe that growth is always the true goal for students in a classroom setting. However, evaluating based on growth might lead to some problematic implications. For instance, a student who writes an above average paper might receive a lower grade than a student who writes an average paper, which might cause frustration and confusion among both students and concerned parents. What would you anticipate as being the biggest roadblocks when it comes to trying to evaluate students based on growth?

Leah Delaney Questions 07/26

1. On page 105 Yancey writes "writing portfolios promise to change significantly what goes on in writing classrooms-- because of the messages they send, the authority they assign, the ways they motivate students, and the insights they challenge students to perceive and articulate."

How do portfolios accomplish all of this? If we choose not to do portfolio grading, what other methods, if any, might achieve the same effect?

2. How does the Reiff piece achieve the goal of "conversation starter" (163) that it deems to be the goal of this specific genre of writing?

Raquel 7/25 Qs

1. How do you feel about portfolio grading versus more traditional grading? Which do you prefer to use?

2. Did Wysockis' article on multiple media of texts surprise you? Why or why not? What were your biggest takeaways from this article?

Sidney 7/26

1.     How would you go about introducing students to the way that the multi-media nature of texts complicates and influences audience experience? Would you utilize some of Wysocki’s suggested activities, or maybe briefly discuss how aesthetic decisions impact understanding of texts?

2.     If you decide to use portfolio grading how do you plan on evaluating the formative “development of the writer”? Will you allow multiple submissions of assignments, or grade based off an evaluation of the growth in their writing throughout the progression of the course (or perhaps an alternative approach)? And why?